Kindling
by hmweasley
Summary: Growing up on Naboo, Alec doesn't have much firsthand experience with the larger galaxy. When a mysterious man with yellow eyes shows up in Alec's small town, that may change. Star Wars AU written for Malec Week 2018.


**A/N: Here we go. My space AU (that is a Star Wars AU) for Malec Week 2018. The ancient Rome AU is still in progress, but by that, I mean I'm still working on an outline. (I'm not quite sure how long it's going to shape up to be in the end.) I promise to have it up as quick as possible.**

 **For anyone unfamiliar with Star Wars' date system (or who just needs to jog their memory), A New Hope takes place in 0 BBY (Before the Battle of Yavin)/ABY (After the Battle of Yavin). That means the bulk of this story takes place roughly five years before Episode IV while the very end is roughly a year after Episode VI.**

 **Word count: 1,775**

* * *

 _Naboo_

 _5 BBY (Before the Battle of Yavin)_

Alec settled himself into his usual booth at the bar. The place was filled with the usual patrons. Supposedly, the larger cities of Naboo were receiving more visitors than ever, but there was rarely anyone new in their isolated village. Each day was merely more of the same.

Those visitors that did appear garnered interest from the locals who were unused to seeing anyone new, but the stranger in the bar that night was getting more than his fair share of attention. Alec had heard about him on the street before he'd even arrived at the bar. Once he saw the man for himself, he couldn't blame the other townspeople for gossiping.

He peered at the man from the corner of his eye as he tried to appear uninterested. That was more than could be said for most of the others.

The whispers said this man was Force-sensitive. Alec scoffed at such an idea. His parents had been adamant his whole life that the Force was a myth spread by some to make themselves feel better about their place in the universe. Some on Naboo might have held onto the belief, but if they did, it was in secret. The Empire didn't look kindly on such ridiculous ideas.

The man in question wore a cape of all things. To Alec, his fashion choices were over the top. The cape wasn't what most caught Alec's attention, though. He was drawn to the man's eyes, and he knew he wasn't the only one. The man appeared mostly human, but his eyes hinted at a more complex heritage. Alec didn't know enough about the species of the galaxy, aside from his own and the Gungan that also lived on Naboo, to guess which.

He downed what was left of his drink, cringing as it burned its way down his throat. Though most of the gossip was probably untrue, there was a chance the man did believe he was Force-sensitive. Alec had no interest in getting involved with someone delusional, especially when said delusions might attract the attention of the Empire. He placed his empty glass onto the table and pushed himself up.

The man was sure to be gone by morning, and then life could return to normal.

* * *

Alec slipped his boots off at the front door and kept his steps light as he maneuvered through the dark house. The pressure the imperial government was placing on local officials kept his parents from getting many full nights of sleep, and he didn't want to disturb if they were in bed.

When he made it to the kitchen, he didn't expect to find his parents sitting at the table. They turned to look at him as one, and Alec hesitated before taking one of the open chairs.

"What's going on?"

The coffee mugs in front of both of them hinted that they had no plans of going to sleep soon. His mother rubbed at her forehead, and Alec felt his stomach twist. His mind drifted to the stranger at the bar, and suddenly, he didn't find the whispering as entertaining as he had before.

"There was some commotion earlier this evening," his dad said in his government official voice.

He was still in his uniform, though he'd partially unbuttoned his jacket.

"Was it about that strange man who's in town?"

His mother froze, her gaze sharp as she looked at him.

"How do you know about that?"

Alec shrugged and shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He'd done nothing wrong, but his mother had a way of often making him feel like he had.

"It's hard not to know about strangers around here, and this one would be particularly hard not to notice. Have you seen him? He's certainly not hiding from anyone. Everyone's talking about him."

His father huffed.

"We had a report that he used the Force. When he was questioned, he wouldn't give us straightforward answers. He nearly got himself arrested."

"Oh?"

Unsure what else to do, Alec stood to pour himself his own cup of coffee.

"Just stay away," Maryse muttered. "With any luck, he'll be gone soon. We don't need any trouble."

When she looked at him with her sharp gaze, Alec had little choice but to nod.

* * *

With each step he took, Alec cringed. The local bar was visited by everyone in town. There was nothing strange about hanging out there, yet he knew his parents would have a fit if they knew he was going while the mysterious man was still in town. He could only hope that no one would bother to mention his visit to his parents.

Apparently his parents weren't the only ones being cautious. The bar was emptier than normal, and those who were there were mostly younger folks who felt more rebellious. Surprisingly, Jace and Izzy had turned down Alec's request that they come with him. Neither of them were particularly interested in the stranger, perhaps because everyone else was.

Having never stepped foot off Naboo, Alec only knew of other planets from stories and images. In other worlds, he imagined, no one could stand out because there was so much variety. It wasn't like that on Naboo. Their village was almost entirely human. Gungans visited; seeing one of them around wasn't surprising. Other species, though, caused ripples when they arrived, and even the man's striking yellow eyes acted as a blazing sign that attracted people to him.

Alec noticed him the second he stepped into the bar. He'd taken another corner for himself and had positioned himself so that he could observe the other patrons easily. Though he had been questioned by the authorities the night before, he appeared at ease.

The likeliest story was that he wasn't Force-sensitive at all and was merely the subject of errant rumors. If that were true, Alec shouldn't have found the other man captivating, but he did. Something about him made him want to know his life's story. It was unlike any passing curiosity Alec had felt for past visitors.

When the man glanced at him, Alec averted his eyes to the table, feeling heat rush to his cheeks. He didn't dare look up again and was debating how to gracefully make his exit when someone settled in across from him. With a startled jump, he looked into the yellow eyes that had been holding his attention.

They were more striking up close.

The man leaned over the table, invading Alec's space. His eyes sparkled dangerously as he smirked, and Alec felt fire burn deep in his abdomen.

Alec waited for the man to speak. When he didn't, he forced words out of his own mouth, wanting to break the tense air between them.

"You're making people talk."

The man's smirk widened.

"Oh, am I? What a joy to hear. I love when people talk about me."

His eyes scanned what he could see of Alec's body above the table, and Alec shivered.

"I do hope you were one of them because you look utterly divine, darling."

This was dangerous. Desire flooded Alec's senses, but he was able to retain enough of his awareness to remember what could happen if this man was Force-sensitive. He wasn't sure which he should have been more concerned with: the man or the Empire.

The man sensed his indecision and attempted to turn his smirk into something softer.

"You really don't get many visitors around here, do you? Trust me when I say that I have no desire to harm anyone. What I do have is a strong desire to show you a good time."

There were people watching them, people who would talk about how the oldest Lightwood boy had gone off with the possibly Force-sensitive man. Naboo may have valued youth, but Alec wasn't an adult yet. There would be consequences for going against their wishes.

The man held out his hand, and Alec considered it for a second before taking it in his own. His skin hummed at the contact, and he had no idea if the effect the man was having on him was only physical attraction or the Force. He couldn't bring himself to worry about what he would face come morning.

He didn't look at anyone as he led the man out of the bar.

* * *

 _Nakadia_

 _5 ABY (After the Battle of Yavin)_

As awareness returned to him, the first thing Alec felt was warmth. Before opening his eyes, he stretched out his hand, searching for the familiar man beside him. He found Magnus easily and snuggled closer, pressing his face into his chest.

He could have forgotten it was winter. In an hour, he'd have to leave for work, and it would be far too cold outside. He'd have much rather stayed in bed with Magnus all day. No matter that staying in bed was exactly what they had done the previous day. Alec would have done it every day if it were acceptable.

Magnus laughed sleepily, and Alec felt his body shake against his own. With a groan, he opened his eyes and turned his head to find Magnus' familiar yellow eyes looking down at him.

"Good morning," he muttered, voice heavy with tiredness.

Smiling, Magnus angled his neck to place a brief kiss to Alec's forehead. Alec felt electricity spark between them. A decade later, he still didn't know if it was the Force or Magnus himself that created the electricity, but he'd stopped caring about the answer long ago. The Force wasn't as unknown of an entity as it once had been, though Alec would never be capable of using it himself.

Part of him wanted to push himself up onto his elbows and kiss Magnus properly, but he was still too tired to act on the desire. His eyes fluttered shut, prompting Magnus to run his fingers through his hair.

"Come on, love. The New Republic awaits."

"Fuck the Republic."

Though Alec's words were muttered into Magnus' chest and hardly intelligible, Magnus laughed, and the vibrations dislodged Alec enough that he found the energy to push himself up. Magnus met him halfway in a brief kiss.

"As wonderful as never going to work again might be, darling. We worked a little too hard to curse the New Republic's existence. I don't think Senator Organa would be pleased."

Pouting, Alec placed one more quick kiss to Magnus' lips before rolling out of bed.

The New Republic might have made a lot of progress since the days of the Rebel Alliance, but there was a long way to go. Magnus was right, they had work to do.


End file.
